Mara Abbott of Boulder attacked on the final ascent and made it stick Thursday, winning Stage 5 of the Giro Rosa and taking the overall lead.

She won the Grand Tour race in 2010 when it was known as the Giro Donne.

Abbott left the peloton for a solo ascent on the final 9-mile climb of the 45.5-mile stage from Varazze to Monte Beigua, Italy, finishing 1:44 ahead of Francesca Cauz of Italy and 5:15 ahead of previous race leader and world champion Marianne Vos of the Netherlands. Abbott leads the overall standings by 1:27 over Tatiana Guderzo of Italy.

“I’m going to try to protect this lead with the help of my teammates,” Abbott said. The Denver Post

Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson had butterflies before Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. It wasn't because of the big-name opponent, but rather his return from a 13-game injury absence and being stoked to rejoin a team in a playoff push and looking for its third postseason appearance in 10 years.